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Today marks the 25th anniversary of the release of the original Commander
Keen in 1990. There's a pretty extensive article on the history of the
platformer on Wikipedia
explaining the franchise's place in history: "The cartoon-style platform games
are notable for their pioneering use of EGA graphics and shareware distribution,
and they were some of the first games by id Software (who went on to later
develop Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Quake). The games were also exciting to the PC
gaming community of the time because of John D. Carmack's smooth-scrolling
graphics game engine." On a related note, John Romero has uploaded
a video of a Super Mario Bros. 3 PC Demo
(thanks
Gamasutra) showing a prototype game developed by a prototype of what would
soon become id Software, and the guts of this project eventually became
Commander Keen. Very keen Keen designer Tom Hall
a Facebook post celebrating the occasion with a new tribute level created for
Super Mario Maker. He concludes with a plea to rights holder Zenimax to release the IP or at least the source code: LET’S GET SOME KEEN
ON EVERYBODY! And ZENIMAX, it’s been 25 YEARS. Can I have Keen back? (grin
emoticon) Well. doesn’t hurt to ask. At LEAST release the Keen 4-6 source,
okay?
EA announces Getaway DLC for Battlefield Hardline, saying this will
come to the premium version of the cops and robbers shooter next month. Here's
word on the new maps, weapons, vehicles, and more that this will add:
Drop the clutch, lay on the gas, and hold on to your seats, because
Battlefield™ Hardline is gearing up for its fastest, most explosive expansion
yet! Whether you’re making a dusty, high-speed escape across the Mexican border,
or closing in on a hot pursuit along the sun-drenched Pacific coast, you’ll be
chasing glory at top speed when you play Battlefield™ Hardline: Getaway*, coming
January 2016.
A great getaway is key to a great heist. If you’re a criminal wheelman, your
payday is dependent on your ability to evade the cops. If you drive for the law,
the fastest way to earn your badge is to take down the thieves before they can
escape into a cloud of dust and burnt rubber. Ready to rev your engines? Here’s
what owners of Battlefield Hardline: Getaway will get…
- Four massive maps: Pacific Highway, Double Cross,
Train Dodge, and Diversion
- New game mode: Capture the Bag
- 4 new vehicles
- 3 new weapons for the Mechanic Class
- One new gadget and a new melee weapon
- 4 new Legendary Camos
In addition, all Battlefield Hardline players will receive a game update that
includes new weapons and patches, as well as new features we’ll talk about
soon.
Electronic Arts announces a February 9th release date for Unravel, saying the
Windows version will be released via Origin on that date. They celebrate the
news with the release of the
official story trailer,
setting the stage for a game based on a single strand of yarn. Here's word on
the game: Unravel is a game all about overcoming obstacles, both big and
small. Using Yarny’s small thread and big heart, players will traverse through
the breath-taking, lush environments of Northern Scandinavia in this unique
physics-based puzzle platformer. Some challenges are simple, like using Yarny’s
thread to swing across a gap, or rappel down a tree. But others are more
complex, and players will need to use Yarny’s thread in clever and creative ways
to find the path forward. Whatever the case, no feat is too big for Yarny. Along
the way, unlock a heartfelt story about love and longing, and the ties that
bind, with Yarny as the red thread that runs through it all.
Continue here to read the full story.
The
Fable Legends website announces open beta testing of Fable Legends is
being pushed back to Spring 2016 after Lionhead previously planned for it to
begin this holiday season (thanks
VG247). Here's their new outlook on testing and releasing the free-to-play
installment in the series: Fable Legends is coming together well and it’s
a lot of fun. But we think that we can make it even better. So we’ve decided to
extend our closed beta to continue to listen to feedback from our players and
add features and polish that will make a real difference. This means Fable
Legends won’t release into open beta this holiday as previously announced. We
realise this may be disappointing for those of you not currently playing, so we
wanted to tell you why.
To be honest, we didn’t anticipate just how big Fable Legends is becoming. It’s
simply the most ambitious game we’ve ever created at Lionhead. We’ve built a
unique and innovative multiplayer experience combining RPG and RTS gameplay
which allows you to play, and use your gear seamlessly, across Xbox One and
Windows 10. On top of this, we’ve built a beautiful new world full of grand
stories and adventures. And it’s taking more time than we thought.
The team is working exceptionally hard and we’re proud of how far the game has
come. We’re operating our closed beta 24/7 and have added lots more features,
quests, creatures, and heroes to play. Hundreds of thousands of fans have
participated in the beta so far, and we can’t wait to open it up for all of you
to play. To achieve our aspirations for Fable Legends, we’ve moved our open beta
release to spring of 2016. So to all of you who have been playing in our closed
beta, and to all of you who have been waiting patiently for the game to release
into open beta, we want to thank you on behalf of everyone at Lionhead.
Steam News announces a
free weekend is underway for
Secret Ponchos along
with a sale on the spaghetti western-inspired game. Here's word: Play
Secret Ponchos for FREE
starting now through Sunday at 1PM Pacific Time. You can also pickup
Secret Ponchos at 50%
off the regular price!*
Secret Ponchos is a beautiful but deadly competitive PvP fighting game set in a
stylish Spaghetti Western universe. The isometric gameplay is team based and
unlike any fighting game or MOBA you've played before. Combat is fast-paced,
precise and merciless, resulting in a competitive environment where skills
matter. There is no auto-attacking or hand-holding – every shot is a skill-shot!
Nexon announces the
promised early access to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – First
Assault Online is now underway, allowing immediate access to anyone who
purchases an Early Access Pack for the first-person shooter. Packs can be
purchased on the official First
Assault website, where they also offers a
recent gameplay trailer.
Here's the announcement explaining why they are going the early access route,
and why they are choosing to make this an FPS: “As dedicated fans of The
Ghost in the Shell franchise, this project is very close to our hearts at
Neople. For a long time we have wanted to bring the iconic world of Stand Alone
Complex to life in a video game, allowing players to experience the franchise
firsthand as a member of the elite cybernetically enhanced task force, Section
9.
With such a wealth of great content covered in Stand Alone Complex, picking a
genre was no easy feat. However, while watching the series we were particularly
excited by Episode 24 of Season One, in which the wrongfully accused team at
Section 9 are tested to their limits, forced to take on an opposing Special Ops
team in order to clear their names. This episode really made us imagine what it
would be like to fight together as a perfectly synchronized team like Section 9,
which helped us decide to bring that fantasy to life in a tactical team-based
shooter.
The members of Section 9 are beyond human, with powerful cybernetic augments and
networked cyberbrains allowing them to coordinate and communicate without
speaking. To bring this to life in-game we gave each of our operatives powerful
cyberskills and developed the SkillSync system, which we believe will add a new
level of strategic depth to team play by allowing players to seamlessly share
these skills with their team in the heat of battle.
But we don’t just want to make a game that we want to play, we want to build one
that you, the fans do. Our vision for First Assault is to work closely with the
community to shape and build the best possible game. We held our first beta test
a few months ago and received invaluable feedback about the game experience,
maps and modes. Since that test we have been hard at work improving the in-game
environment, as well as controls and content, and we’re now ready to reveal the
initial results to the community through our Early Access program.
During the Early Access program for First Assault, our commitment to the players
is to maintain an open communication loop with the community, sharing content
and update news as well as discussing ways we can improve the game.
Paradox Interactive announces Here Be Dragons, a new expansion for
Knights of Pen & Paper 2 the game their "turn-based RPG about turn-based
RPGs." They say this will be released early next year, and there are some images
the project on
this page. Here's word: Paradox Interactive, a publisher and
developer that never meta-game it didn’t like, today announced a new expansion
for Knights of Pen & Paper 2, the turn-based RPG about turn-based RPGs. The new
expansion, titled “Here Be Dragons,” will arrive soon for Windows, Mac, and
Linux PCs, and iOS and Android devices, bringing a new story, new features, and
enough jokes to fill a bag of holding. Developed by the favorable-disposition
NPCs at KYY Games, “Here Be Dragons” also finally enables players of Knights of
Pen & Paper 2 to play as the in-game Knight class, making the game title more
accurate and therefore better. “Here Be Dragons” will be available on all
devices in early 2016.
The Sims 4: Get Together debuts at number two on the
GFK Chart-Track PC top 30 chart for the week ending December 12th.
Football Manager 2016 retains the top spot there, while Call of Duty
Black Ops III squeezes into the top spot on the
all platforms chart. Here's
the write-up which
also mentions an extra chart will come this year: This is the week 50
chart, but thanks to the Gregorian calendar this year is also a 53 week year
(last occurred in 2009).
Consequently, the last published chart before Christmas will be next week and
that is the definition for the Christmas Chart (week 51, ending Saturday 19th
December). Jockeying for position and next week’s Christmas No1 is looking like
a 3 horse race. Activision’s ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops III’ climbs one place to
No1 (-37%) – last year Activision held off EA’s ‘FIFA 15’ as ‘Call of Duty:
Advanced Warfare’ was the 2014 Xmas No1. At No2 this week is EA’s ‘Star Wars
Battlefront’, up from No3 (-22%) – this title could benefit from Star Wars 7
movie mania, released in just a few days. EA also have ‘FIFA 16’ which drops 2
places to No3 this week (-49%) but ‘FIFA’ games currently hold the record in
terms of Xmas No1’s with 8 so far. Records for traditional entertainment
software Xmas No1’s actually date back 32 years to 1984 and although the charts
back then were very different it was in fact Activision’s ‘Ghostbusters’ on
Spectrum and Commodore machines that claimed the first ever Xmas No1 (week 51,
1984). Bethesda drop one place to No4 with ‘Fallout 4’ (-21%) and Telltale
Games’ ‘Minecraft: Story Mode’ climbs 2 places to No5 (-3%). Last week’s 2 big
new releases drop places, with Square Enix’s ‘Just Cause 3’ down 2 to No6 (-43%)
and Ubisoft’s ‘Tom Clancy Rainbow 6: Siege’ down 3 places to No9 (-58%). The
lone new entry this week is EA’s ‘The Sims 4: Get Together’ debuting at
No38.
Otherside Entertainment officially announces System Shock 3, following
teases last week indicating a third
installment in the action/RPG series is coming. Here's what they are revealing
for now about the plan: OtherSide Entertainment, the development studio
behind the upcoming fantasy RPG Underworld Ascendant, is excited to officially
announce development on System Shock 3, the sequel to the landmark System Shock
series.
Last week, OtherSide posted a teaser website (www.othersidetease.com ) with
cryptic lettering hinting at a new game. Internet hackers quickly cracked the
site, prematurely revealing the game’s title. As part of the fun, series’ AI
antagonist SHODAN appeared to mock the hackers with new taunts each day.
On the updated teaser site today, fans can hear popular voice actress Terri
Brosius (System Shock 1 & 2, Dishonored) reprise her role as the voice of SHODAN
and see an early peek at the evolving ‘next generation’ look of the character by
artist Robb Waters.
Key members of the original System Shock and System Shock 2 teams will be part
of the sequel. This includes Paul Neurath, who oversaw the original series’
development; Nate Wells, a senior artist on System Shock 2; and Waters, the lead
concept artist of both original games.
The path to bring the System Shock franchise forward was long and winding.
Several years back, OtherSide secured the exclusive IP rights to all future
versions of the franchise. Only recently, through partnership with Night Dive
Studios, who owns the System Shock trademark, did OtherSide get the rights to
use the System Shock name for the sequel.
System Shock 3 is currently in the early concept stages of development. Fans can
register on the teaser site (www.othersidetease.com ) to receive updates as they
become available. For more information on OtherSide Entertainment, please see
these links:
Facebook:
www.Facebook.com/OtherSideEntertainment
Twitter: Twitter.com/OtherSide_Games
YouTube:
www.YouTube.com/channel/UCpa4L_96ElAgH1hit3aya9w
Twitch:
www.Twitch.tv/otherside_entertainment
Interdimensional Games offers a
new trailer from
Consortium: The Tower, their upcoming sequel to Consortium, the Kickstarted
first-person action/RPG inspired by Amen: The Awakening, Cavedog's cancelled
shooter. They say a Kickstarter for this will launch on January 18, and that an
ARG for this will begin on December 21st on the
iDGi-1 website. In the meantime, here's the one-sentence description of the
game: "The Tower is a new single-player first-person science fiction immersive
simulation created using the Unreal 4 Engine, and is set within the confines of
a massive tower looming over Central London." Continue here to read the full story.
GOG.com announces a Worms promotion that involves discounts on a bunch of
Team17 games, including the offer of a free copy of
Worms Forts: Under
Siege. Here's what's going on: But please, don't excuse yourself
from the party just yet! Once you've secured your free copy of Worms: Forts
Under Siege make sure to check out the rest of Team17's catalogue going for up
to 80% off. That includes: Worms 2 and Worms World Party Remastered, the
charming platformers Superfrog and Superfrog HD, plus all available DLCs for The
Escapists. Team17's Free Worm Up will last until December 17, 10:59 AM
GMT.
EGOSOFT announces Home of Light, an expansion for X Rebirth that
will be released in February, accompanied by a free version 4.0 patch for the
space combat and exploration game. The
X Rebirth website
doesn't yet reflect the news, but hopefully some media will be added soon.
Here's word: Today EGOSOFT announces the new expansion “Home of Light” as
well as update 4.0 for X Rebirth, both to be released in February 2016!
Home of Light (HoL) is an exciting expansion of the X Rebirth universe and makes
the best use of the many new features of X Rebirth 4.0:
- (HoL) Much larger universe: The Home of Light
expansion will bring three entire new systems, including the central Home of
Light, known from the X3 games, with a massive new economy.
- (HoL and 4.0) Bulletin Board System (BBS): The new
BBS system collects all currently available missions in space for an easier
overview.
- (4.0) Trade improvements: Graphs showing market developments over time, a
best deal finder and many UI improvements to make trading easier.
- (4.0) New engine technology: Extend your ship with
a Jump Drive and other new technology to travel through the universe quicker
than ever.
- (HoL) Trade stations: A new station type allows you to stock large amounts
of any wares you like. Buy up goods when they're cheap and sell when the
price is high, or when your competitors' stations mysteriously explode.
- (4.0) Customizable weapon upgrades: Craft weapon
modifications to improve your favorite weapons.
- (HoL and 4.0) New enemies, new weapons, new missions, new and mysterious
phenomena.
- (HoL and 4.0) Many new secrets to explore in the
outskirts of the ever-growing X universe.
The Home of Light expansion can be pre-ordered NOW at a 20% discount for just
$7.99 on Steam.
X Rebirth Update 4.0 will be released for free.
Mojang
announces a price reduction for Minecraft Realms, saying they are also now
serving up a free trial version for anyone who hasn't previously played this
version of the game that allows you to run your own Minecraft server.
Here's a rundown on the game, the price drop, and the free trial: I
don’t know what Realms is! I am confused
Realms is a safe, simple way to enjoy an online Minecraft world with friends.
Realms worlds are always available and only open to people you invite, so you
don’t need to worry about mean people blowing up your creations or stealing your
resources. Only the host of the world needs to pay, and up to ten players can
hang out on a Realm at any one time.
Realms supports loads of exciting mini-games and custom spawns, and the owner of
the Realm can switch between them at will. Though we’re excited to bring
Minecraft Realms to other editions of Minecraft, it’s currently only available
on the PC Java Edition.
You mentioned a trial? A FREE trial?
Anyone who hasn’t previously owned a Realm can now sign up for a 30 day trial
via the Realms menu in your client. We don’t even force you to enter your credit
card details because we’re nice like that.
Tell me about the lower prices!
I can do that!
A 30 day subscription to Minecraft Realms used to cost £8/€10/$13. Now it’s a
mere £6.99/€8.99/$9.99.
90 days of mini-games, cool spawns, and procedurally generated worlds used to
cost £21/€26/$35. Now it’ll set you back £18.99/€23.99/$26.99.
180 days of online fun via our
100%-official-online-world-solution-for-dedicated-fans, Minecraft Realms, used
to cost £38/€46/$62. Now it’s just £33.99/€42.99/$47.99
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Neon Town -- Steam Greenlight. "Neon Town is a game developed by Treneon
Games which seeks to revive the spirit of old school action games in a top
down format while focusing on what made those games best, the challenging
and rewarding boss battles." Here's
a trailer.
The Gunnar-man didn't need to go out first thing this morning, so I was out
alone filling the bird feeder when I noticed a little black cat watching me from
the deck, so it worked out nicely that the dog wasn't there to terrify her. From
her black coat and copper eyes I recognized her breed as a bombay, since I once
owned one of these fantastic cats. She scooted away a bit, but experience told
me she would be friendly, and sure enough it wasn't 30 seconds before she let me
pick her up. This was a really nice moment, and I'm hoping she'll come back for
another visit soon.
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